The Big Cat is back and our panel breaks down the latest on what we are hearing out of Bahamas – noted golf columnist Jeff Babineau joins us this week to offer his insight. Ryder Cup news – Luke Donald is named to Captain the European Team at Bethpage. Right decision? We discuss … and we ask the question – if you could host the Ryder Cup on one course – where would it be?
Recorded 11/29/23
Welcome welcome welcome to another episode of quiet please the golf podcast I am Alan Dew your host for the next 45 minutes or so and I am joined as always by our panel of esteemed golf knowledgeable individuals to my left Mr little linksters and I got some special news for everybody out
There about him in a minute I want to give him the special props but Brendan Elliot welcome I I gotta ask ask our guest about some of that stuff well we’re going to I got I did I do have a couple show notes and on the back of a
Napkin but um you know hey we’re going to uh we’re gonna a second Boston Bob baldasari also haing from the bourbon Country Now Cheers Cheers noted golf columnist and knowledge of all things golf Jeff babo on the panel once again hello sir hello gentlemen Bobs Babs is in the house and timing is
Impeccable because our Brendan Elliott just got his credential for the tour congrats sir yeah and I’m not sure how all this works I just thought i’ put in because I was going to the PNC and uh one of the one of the outlets I write for um wasn’t in their database when I
Was trying to get in there and the lady from PGA headquarters emailed me back she goes typically the isn’t how it works but I’ll prove you um for sports ska which is based out of India but they’re they’re pretty pretty big they pretty pretty big following so yeah I
Put in for the PNC so I’ll see what happens I know Jeff knows all about this stuff but this is all new to me so I like it man you’re you’re writing more than uh Edgar Allen Poe over there see that by line man I’m glad for you happy
Thank you thank you that is true I see I see article after article online you are just you’re pen to paper time right now my buddy Jay coffin who knows he he text me the other day and said you’re writing a lot I’m like yeah I’m enjoying this
I’m enjoying it a lot and I’ve been learning a lot too good stuff share that knowledge and he has a wealth of it indeed yeah so uh Hey guys uh anybody playing this week no golf yeah there’s golf this week well there’s there’s Golf and then
There’s Tiger golf and so Tiger golf is back so now there’s golf there’s golf yes all right so let’s go right there Jeff we’re gonna ask we’re gonna start it with you know about the you want to know the return of will zot Taurus you know what I have that on the
List also I did put that on that will zat torus is back using a broomstick this week he’s back and that tiger guy’s back and you know tiger did his presser yesterday I guess um and I’ve been there for a few additions of the tiger comeback in the
Bahamas and not there this year but uh he sounded very optimistic I mean if tiger is able to walk a golf course which was a huge hindrance not being able to do that now he’s saying he’s feeling no pain when it comes down to you know swinging a golf club and
Hitting golf shots he’s pretty good in that area so you know I may I’ve gone Hook Line and Sinker before but I mean I I liked his optimism and uh you know when he talked about playing maybe one tournament a month you know probably maybe a little less but that’s quite a
Pace I mean I think the average golf fan would love to see that yeah and I thought the same thing and I was thinking back to what Andy said last last show about he’s kind of over it he’s still a fan but he’s kind of over it with all these start and
Stops and comebacks and that what Jeff said was what I took from from his press uh conference was that he sounded more optimistic than he has in the past so again Father Time’s catching up with him too but he is Tiger Woods so you can’t put anything past him I
Guess B he usually he usually wouldn’t play in front of a major but he’s playing in front of the Father’s son so yeah risky yeah everything I saw and heard and you know even looking at his body language looks like yeah he’s he’s confident he’s back it’ll be interesting
I’m sure round one it’ll probably go something like round one a little bit Rusty but he plays pretty decent probably plays pretty well in round two three the weather looks to be nice low 80s not much wind or any winds cross wind small greens but still you got to
Believe he plays well I’ve me interesting in that last round how we can physically feel but I mean you know I’m taking Allen’s uh advice I’m betting him to finish in top 20 I like it that’s that’s better than my uh bet line last night I mean
Parlay the the best case scenario might be he can be what maybe around the top fiveish seven eight you know super respectable um I’m wondering well yeah it was exciting with zot Tores with the he’s got a lab putter Bill prey way to go bill um Bill’s going to be joining us
I think one of these shows coming up soon uh but that was exciting to see more his uh lab putter the MZ out there and um I’m I’m kind of wondering thinking Keegan Bradley has a really good tournament I think he’s probably Wicked pissed about still maybe the
Ridder cup I think he plays well I think I think the I mean Tiger’s obvious viously the eternal optimist I mean he is the king of selft talk you know I’m getting always getting a little better how I’m getting good out there he’s always always posit got the own his
Own positive energy about it but the guys are all talking about it I love the one quote from uh Scotty how he he’s like you know I love when you turn around you look down the range and he’s on the range with and it’s the difference it’s just a
Different sound coming off the club face and I’m I’m excited for what is this tiger 5.0 5 six knows there’s two I think there’s two versions of tiger we’ve seen in the comeback mode right the the wounded guy that hobbles around and his back hurts and then there’s the guy that
Has speed and the guy that has speed I think makes everyone in the range stop and look over and see what that guy has because he’s just a different guy with that and and you know who know I always knew he would would come back and win a
Major I always maintained that he was too stubborn not to and now I think he’s really driven by the something in the back of his mind that says you know I might play the PGA tour with my kid one of these days and I might hang around
For that so he who knows what motivates him but something keeps that fire lit and uh he’s a dangerous guy when the fire’s lit I would I would have been impressed to see talking about speed unfortunately turning right he doesn’t have he he had a little too much speed
On that turn um what it would have been after La after that comeback because I thought he was on a trajectory then before this latest obviously physical uh dilemma he found himself in with the car injury and everything that’s come out of that I mean hell just saving his life
Was the first first and most important part of it out of the after the accident and saving the leg but I mean God That Swing looks really good Brandon well I I did an article for pga.com yesterday it posted about what the average golfer can take from him and
Um the injuries we all tend to De with as as we get older um Tiger’s the first that’ll tell you in the past he maybe had you know sped up the process a little too quick and got out there a little too fast or um it you know you
Have to what he’s done really well especially before this latest surgery is he recreated a swing that would work with what his body was given him and and people can take from that you know a lot a lot of us as we get older and our bodies bodies don’t move let alone
Injury but our bodies don’t move the way they did when we younger um we try to keep doing things the same way that we did when we were younger and that just that recipe doesn’t work so you know if the one of the best of all time
Recreates a swing and he plays for a living too so it really matters you know we can take something from that where we can recreate our swing or our approach um if there’s nothing physically that we’re really dealing with just the way we go about playing the
Game he Babs that was uh as usual Jeff bab with the Keen insight about tiger thinking about playing with Charlie like I never even thought of that I did think about tigers tied with Sam sne for 82 wins all the time and I wondered if that was more you know but that’s that’s
Fascinating about the Charlie thing but yeah I wonder like what’s his driving force he’s one of those guys like a Tom Brady or whoever you get something in them and it just the burning desire goes crazy and then I wondered is does he want to stay out there to be Kathy
Whitworth’s alltime professional record he want Jack Jack was the one he circled right that’s the one he hunted I don’t know that the PGA Tour alltime record I’m sure it would be nice uh I think brandle shamble was making the point that sne has a handful of Team
Events that he won it’s like crediting a track guy winning a relay you know um which is somewhat true but Tigers 82 are individual and that’s that’s a record um but I always thought he was driven by Jack and and and that that was the mark that really moved him oh yeah
Yeah Bobby did you see he’s got a new driver in the back he’s got that he’s got that new tailor made q1 prototype he’s got in the bag this week yeah I don’t know much about it just that he was putting a new driver in there you have that same driver I I
No he’s light 499 if he did Tiger picked it up on a special at you know PJ yeah picked it up from a dicks uh Dixon PGA golf professional that was uh fitting him in the in the netting I wanted to ask I wanted to mention a Babs uh because I know you
Made a comment too and um I’ve only met Steve a couple of times but Steve deago the writer and he’s had a lot of health issues and we wish him the absolute best and he was always really nice and kind I would shake his hand and say hi at the
Uh PGA Championship or things I was at with the PGA and I know you’re a good friend of his and that was uh need to see him back out there yeah it was a really good you know tiger had a great they had a great picture of Tiger’s
Reaction when he saw him you know went up to him after the the presser and uh it’s great to see him back yeah I heard his voice in the presser and I was like sounded like Steve Dem meglio and it’s good to hear so good for him hope he
Gets a lot of sunshine this week and enjoys some good Bahamas fresh air yeah hey Jeff any have you heard anything or any more Scuttle but about about uh H in his presser now he’s been on now he’s been put on the policy board and everybody’s
Making a big deal out of those three words can’t happen again in reference to the the Saudi deal so what are you hearing about that I mean look he wants to make his he’s made his mark on the game as a player now he can still influence the
Game you know as an administrator on on the policy board as a player what what it did was it tilted the scales toward the players and the players felt blindsided by the June announcement about the you know the relationship coming up with piff and and
The deal supposed to be done by the end of December which I don’t I don’t know that that’s going to happen to probably extend it but um it just gives them a chance and gives all the players a chance to have have a say where they’re not going to be blindsided on anything
Again they’re going to be in the room and uh hear things through I’m convinced what happened on June 6 would not have happened with players in the room so I kind of saw it both ways but um yeah it’s interesting that he’s adamant about that and a lot lot of players got their
Feelings hurt by they don’t like surprises so uh they won’t see a lot of those coming out and is there anything you could re kind of off of that is there anything you can read into the fact that Rory stepped down from from the policy board is that just to focus
On the game again or just I mean I think it’s a lot I mean you’re I’ve seen guys on the on the policy board you know spe went on in Rory’s place and I’ve seen guys go up there with a couple bags of balls to start hitting balls on a range
And everybody approaches them and you’re you know it’s a Turn Style out there of guys with issues you know the 125 guy doesn’t have the same concerns that the number 10 guy does and playing opportunities and you’re supposed to represent everybody so it’s busy and and
Rory’s a busy guy and it probably is good that he lends a little more Focus to his golf because his golf’s awfully good but there’s a finite window in there to get all those Majors uh starting to collect those again so it totally makes sense to
Me I was I’m curious Jeff if you would have any knowledge of how the players felt before this all went down this summer on where they stood as far as decision making and it was this something that really is is it seems in in the media that it really caught him off
Guard yeah I mean this was done in a small room with a handful of guys and it totally caught him off guard I mean guy and that’s going to hurt some feelings man tiger you know the The Sweat Equity they’ve put into this PJ tour they don’t
Need to be surprised by anything it’s it quot unquote is their tour now with the way the board is set up it assures that it’s their tour um and it’s who knows like I I think he Nails it when he says there are so many moving parts of this thing uh I think
One big angle of this is what’s going to happen to all the charity dollars yeah there’s not a lot of pie left over when you start playing for 20 million bucks a week so um it’s it’s an interesting ground they’re all trading across right now and and there’s a lot to sort out
And I don’t see it happening in 30 or so days no no not no that was something the tour really hung their hat on is how much they do more charitable dollars than any of the other major sports put together so that’s something to really be considered moving
Forward Oh by Far Man by far the be best charity dollars best retirement program I don’t know if that’s impacted uh you know this whole new Venture that the tour is kind of breaking off with this the new business model is a for-profit model tournaments are going to be
Structured differently there so many things going on um you know and and I like that tiger came back to the fact that there’s there’s an essence of the tour that you’re trying to preserve um but you you do lose some of that when you’re out there playing for $20 million
Every week I mean it yeah the average Joe isn’t uh in touch with that so it’s just kind of some some strange ground they’re going on to and there’s a lot of big decisions to be made Bobby uh about what it’s hard to follow Jeff bino
Because it’s just like I’m I’m I just get mesmerized by his words uh but yeah I mean it’s it’s a new day I uh I don’t know I I still you know I was telling somebody the other day being in my dad’s golf shop at HBY Country Club the year um it
Was either Tom ker C strange was hitting a million and and even you know some of those marks along the way in my life that members of the club were just like my god the guy won 50,000 to win a tournament he won a 100,000 how can you
Win a mil million and you know it’s uh it’s just they keep breaking new ground but it is uh one thing I did see in today that was in the news that is good to see and I’ve triy to do as much as I can for women and golf in my career but
Um worldwide it’ll be over billion dollars of Revenue as far as women sports this year in 2024 between medor rights gate on and on so um maybe the playing field is starting to pick up for the ladies for sure well you know it’s interesting as
As you guys know uh Jeff I actually just got back literally just got back from uh Michigan the Michigan Golf Course owners conference I was speaking out there and one of the slides that ngf put out we talked about it last last week about the three three buckets off course hybrid
And then OnCourse only but the percentage of golfers now that are women golfers in the off course particularly it’s like 41% yeah I mean it’s it’s I think on green grass is up to 28% so I mean it is tremendous to see the the rise in uh female or
Participation there was always an area that I go ahead B well it’s an amazing number that kind of quietly came out during the CME Globe uh during the Tour Championship CME Group uh I think in two years the number is like $60 million persones have gone up on the LPGA and
Now there are 15 or 16 of $3 million or more I mean that’s that’s awesome because it wasn’t that long ago you could play an LPGA schedule with a card and lose money for the year yeah and uh and that just shouldn’t be I mean these are the best players in the
World they put on a show every week uh you know how many weeks do you are you there for five six days miss a cut and go home you know with nothing um so just to see that that increase I mean I I think it was a really newsy item that
Didn’t get the attention it probably should have and and I hate to say it but they’re more engaging to the than than the their male counterparts I mean the little kids that are standing there they you know I I was down to C viiew and I’m I’m watching the Lydia coming off the
183 and she does her presser and she stood there and signed every kids you know and I know there’s other guys I know there’s rickes of the world but it seems like as a greater percentage the LPGA girl are just very engaging with the fans and appreciative of their
Support yeah go ahead Bob well from I was going to say from a green grass standpoint the business of the game the business of golf the if if anybody’s paying attention to focus on women to get into the game that’s where you’re really going to grow your business the
Women control 98% of your schedule of the household schedule over 90% of household spend if the ladies come in they bring the kids they bring the husbands that’s a center point of what I’ve tried to do at my facilities is yeah there’s always stuff for guys and youth but special attention to women’s
Go to newer ladies into the game really engaging events you want to grow your business focus on women’s golf yeah I had two thoughts you know um from the professional side with the purses going up that’s fantastic not just on you know the LPGA Tour but all the the tours underneath that’s great
Because um some of those girls really trying to work their way onto the LPGA Tour that are the future of the LPGA Tour those those are the ones that really struggle and have to rely on you know the local community to house them and other things because the expenses
Are crazy but as we see the purses go up we somehow some way they’ve got to you know get on TV more often and and you know where people can see them and and the majors that they have the five Majors they have they have to be elevated not just from a financial
Standpoint for the players but being broadcast and being put out there because it is for the average male or female golfer those are the swings that you want to watch those are the swings you want to emulate and those are the players that you want to kind of mold
Your game around because let’s face it most of us can’t do that with the with the men on the PGA tour and then you know I was thinking about last week on the on the recreational side about those three silos you were talking about Allen and I really didn’t think about I didn’t
Have an opinion prior to our conversation about how we’ve kind of split everything up into these three different silos um I was always of the opinion that it they were just kind of doing that to make the numbers look better and make us that work in the
Industry feel a little bit better I still believe that’s the case but at the same time people have golf clubs in their hand that may not step on a regular golf course that’s a good thing I mean it’s going to sell golf clubs it’s going to sell all kinds of stuff uh
Golf related it’s going to have them watching TV and then we really didn’t talk about there’s a huge population out there that don’t do the offc course that don’t do the onc but watch the PGA Tour or watch the Golf Channel so that’s a whole another huge population that we
Gotta you know tap into so so and I’m really interested to hear Jeff’s opinion on it also to your point about the the majors I think the majors are a challenge my opinion that because unlike like austa we Andy talks about venues all the time there’s not
That venue that everybody you know the the uh not anymore not anymore yeah correct with the D with the with the dinosaur moving to the where anyway but with the women getting onto Pebbles pineur right courses like that is that going to give them the elevation and notoriety that will
Probably resonate more with the public I I think so for sure and and what I love is you know one thing I love about covering the Masters is how excited the players are to be there so now when you flip that around with the women and you
Go to Pebble Beach or St Andrews or some of these great venues that they go to uh there’s an excitement level there that they’re now playing for history this this is where so much golf history has taken place so the the excitement around going to Pebble Beach this year was
Terrific and I think all the majors have done a really nice job in bumping up the purse now that’s that’s helped bring up that next tier up right when we have 15 or 16 events now offering three million plus in purse that’s great because the majors have they’ve elevated theirs so
Much that you kind of there has to be a boost there to kind of stay in the neighborhood and uh that that’s great right it’s the the rising tide lifts all boats so um but I to your point on venues I think that’s huge I think it
Just means more it means like they’re excited because Pebble isn’t just hosting the Women’s Open it’s excited to have the Women’s Open and now it has maybe three more I I don’t know that we’re going to be around to to see the last of the three I don’t think I will
Uh but you know way out into the future and it’s exciting it’s something where young girl now can point to like hey I want to play in the they open at Pebble Beach in 10 or 12 years and um yeah it’s all all little stuff that just adds up
To the to the snowball growing I found the uh I found the stats about as far as this year on the LPG or uh this year on the LPGA T three ladies made over $3 million this year alone that’s awesome from well from 2 to 2022 for 22 years four players made over
Three million wow so in 22 years four players three million this year alone three players made over three million the other great stat is 28 golfers this year on the lpj tour made over 1 million the 1 million and that’s doubled since 2019 um I mean just some really strong
Numbers as far as the purses have gone up the players have played well and it’s whatever I keep seeing as far as the the PGA LPGA Tour the champions tour the LPGA Legends tour or we are hosting lpj Legends at the Woodford club and so the ladies are coming along with
Opportunities money but also if you start to look at it the athletic ability and the athletes that the Dustin Johnson’s were coming in and now you see the Nelly cords and it’s just interesting it’s starting to shorten a little bit I think I mean Babs is out
There he would know but um each each sort of generation and now this LPG Legends basically the lpj seniors they’re mobilizing under Jane Block’s leadership and many of the Great ladies that now they’re trying to get to where that champion store will be in a few
Years so be I do have one more Point Alan before you transition I’m thinking about this an anuka being an Augusta member and the clout that she already has with the great things she’s doing for Women’s Amateur Golf I wonder and I think she said this Jeff could correct
Me if I’m wrong I think she said this um that her dream is to one day see a women’s major at Augusta National I think I read that somewhere I’m gonna edit you on that go ahead Billy Jean King Billy Jean King said she wants to see it okay had just basically been
Announced as a member I don’t think she wanted to she wasn’t quite ready to speak to that I’m sure she would love to see a women’s major there but it actually was Billy Jean King there you go thanks for the edit can I can I further or
Correct is it brenon I thought she said when you were talking to her recently that she was gonna get the four of us and gonna take us as me as guests to play it is there any truth to that well one of us in this Brady Bunch for here looks like I think
Think I don’t we didn’t talk I don’t think we talked about that yet but that’s that’s such a cool thing to see her uh get get that feather in her cap and and be offered membership at Augusta National she’s she does a lot for the game a lot I mean she’s super involved
In women’s golf so good for her so so great venues hold great competitions watch what I’m gonna do be and one of those competitions is the Ryder Cup and that’s in the news today in fact Luke Donald is back he he kicked our ass hard enough this time bring him
Back to kick our ass again at Beth Page does that set up a Luke Donald versus tiger does it set up uh you know and then I have a I want to pose a question so while you’re thinking about that about who’s GNA Captain um where would you like to see the Ryder
Cup if you could have a Ryder Cup on European soil as well as on American soil where would you want to have a Ryder Cup I want to let Jeff go first oh wow well your first question I I was I wasn’t surprised to see Luke Donald take
It on he did such a great job but he’s five and0 I believe as a player and captain now in the Ryder Cup and he’s he goes into the gauntlet now trying to be a rider he’s a he’s kind of a quiet mellow guy he lit a nice fire under that
Team uh this year but in Italy but uh he goes into the fire now at Beth Pig black and uh that’s that’s a hard one I mean he has this pristine record in the Ryder Cup and you put that all you you put that all on the line now I mean that’s
When when azinger when they used to talk about ainger should be the guy again after 2008 I’m like how does it end any better than that for you you know you won on home soil you had all these Kentucky guys you had fresh blood and you won and and that’s the greatest
Feeling you can have in the rer cup so why do you put that back on the line but you know I think with all those captains kind of out of the mix on the European side that that have gone to live they kind of need a couple guys to step in
And fill a roll like that and I mean Luke Donald’s the perfect gentleman to do it but uh it’s going to be a tall tall task but we yeah we talked I think it was Andy that made the comment he we don’t want to see the New York fans be
The New York fans that’s that’s unfortunately that I think we’re gonna still see that though at Beth Page Brandon what do you think uh the question of Ven yeah no l lose first yeah then we’ll get to venues oh I Echo what Jeff said he he was
Fantastic and and uh I think there there’s been guys that have capped in multiple times and he’s he’s just perfect in that role but again he he may get steamrolled at Beth Page I just I I see the the Americans are going to be very very hungry um they’re going to
Learn from lessons and I I think we’re going to have this back and forth every every other year of a win by the Europeans in Europe and a win by the Americans in the US and but to your second question I think that’s what’s going to really be the driver and the US
You know with all the the uh strategic things and the meetings I have with the PGA of America I’m trying to find the right formula for the team and pairings and this and that I think sticking to venue might be what really ultimately helps the Americans going forward
Bobby as someone that used to be close to the Ridder cup and all the little idiosyncrasies I’m not sure how much I can deny confirm that I know even to this day um I’m I’m really fascinated to get your feedback on my thought process um I guess especially Babs really but um
So yeah that was a great question where would you hold the the rider Cup in Europe and over here you know I don’t know about Europe there’s so many great spots over here I’m going to bring you something that I used when I was president of the M Atlantic PGA and we
Had all these Great Courses in Mid Atlantic as you know and I was President I remember being in a board meeting one year and I said what why don’t we take our our section Championship it’s like five years somewhere out there to you know just just a public course a just
Something that’s downtrod just something that could use the spur like there’s a in the shadow of the Washington Monument there’s a public facility which the name’s escaping me right now yeah and has an amazing amount of History um just it’s a that was what I
Used it an example I said wouldn’t it be really cool if one time just one time we took the section Championship something like that it can go to Congressional it can go to all the fancy places you know we can take it to a miniature golf place
Whoever is playing well is going to win so you know that was in my mind like when you said that I thought well that I I guarantee that got pushed back because of the whole Augusta complex we only play on the most pristine properties and and what happen well I don’t want to
Hijack this but it’s stupid it’s absolutely stupid because now you can mobilize with the golf course superintendant and different associations and really everybody could get together and watch out maybe grow the game oh my God if you did this the right way just one freaking time one
Time just just have some fun and do it like that and not go to the fancy places so my my place for having the Ryder Cup would be clear clear view Clear Lake no clear view um in kanton with Renee pow yeah why not H why not host it there and
Help that place like think so crazily out of the box I mean it’ll never happen but you know it’s going to be fun at be page um I think you know I read something recently that do you really need a PGA Tour player to be a captain
Do they really know what it’s about coaching and team team should you get a Mike chashi should you get a Jim Montgomery for the Boston Bruins best record in 100 games in NHL history do you just get a coach that really understands dynamics that was a fascinating article you know you know if
Tiger goes in there is Tiger gonna be tiger and just he almost intimidates his own team I think it’s a different Dynamic these years than it was years ago but I think everything’s on the table some of the Dynamics inside the PJ America some things aren’t going to
Change because not going to change it’s going to be frustrating as hell so it’s going to be fascinating Bob’s opinion you know so I’m looking this up as we’re talking so the the future Ryder Cup venues are air Manor of course Beth Page Beth Page
Black and 25 we’re going to Hazel te yep so uh you know which I don’t think I’ve ever seen more people on the golf course than the 201 what6 Ridder cupet it just looked like a sea of people uh the Olympic club which is interesting that’s
Not a bomber’s paradise for sure um but I I do yeah I’d like to see I think you have to check a lot of boxes now to host a Ridder Cup right you gotta have a you know a lot of cash and you gotta have you got to have a venue where like
Hazeline big property where you can do so much else there um you know I I think going to the k club I went there in ‘ 06 and you know it’s an Arnold Palmer design it’s a fine golf course it’s owned by a a rich rich guy but how many
Better courses were there in Ireland to be that week and in stage of Ridder cup so um you know I I enjoy where it goes I think you can play in the parking lot it’ll be entertaining but to to get it at the greatest venues uh and the Walker
Cup is doing that but they don’t have to have the infrastructure of a Ridder cup so um yeah I’m all for the Marquee venues so my my two and I agree actually Bob with what you were suggesting which is you know to have the the average golf
Course but if I could pick the two class high-end golf courses I’d like to see old head in Ireland I think that would just be spectacular I was gonna say that but you can only get 12 fans out there well they may fall off the cliffs that’s that’s
True or or and and maybe only 12 fans at my next one which is fiser island or some some just really cool venue that uh just showcases the beauty of also the game thanks choice you don’t work in accounting at PG of America Walker Cup’s done that right
Walker cup we’ve G to seol it’s going to Cypress Point St Andrew ERS um it’s just hard to do with all the demands of what you what you you have to build a small City yeah yeah the infrastructure is is crazy yeah B Bob I’m sure you could tell
Us more but it’s probably four five six year process or more once the venue’s picked right oh at least yeah it’s they’ll send the tournament director out there yeah five six seven years in advance to get embedded and start the whole process it’s it’s it’s such a as
Bab said that you build a city and you know that’s a tricky part when you go course to course around the country Gres Augusta does her own thing all the time but it is there’s Millions there’s tens of millions of dollars on the infrastructure build and the there are
Unbelievably great courses in this country that deserve to host these amazing events they got no shot because they just don’t have the space hey Jeff were you at were you at kiaa when Phil won yes I mean from what I was told because I I played it uh would have been in 22
Right he won in 21 I guess so I played it in 22 in the cad we were talking about how they busing people in oh God it’s not easy to get people around that Island no I think there was a second Road supposed to be coming in by then
That wasn’t built we we you know we didn’t stay on the island so we’d be an hour and 45 minutes on a bus um so it was tough to get people in and out he some TR to think when Rory won at kiaa they had a little bit of rain so people
Were getting stuck in parking lots and um place but it’s just hard to get people there that was a year I had to do a TV interview on site at 6:00 AM we left the hotel at 3:30 a. with Tam Tammy boclair rowing yeah H
Yeah it was uh it was crazy yeah but I think I I went I went to k um for the final round with my dad um and despite the transportation parking thing it’s a little clunky I think they really this last one they really really did a good
Job and and it’s just fascinating to me how they put the merchandising together and all the hospitality stuff together and um and then not to mention the golf course and even the range how the range was set up was was pretty cool that was a neat place and we had plenty
Of drama with Phil winning so yeah you know cool spot good golf course so so Bob make call your connections uh we would like to help select the next future Rider cup locations can you can you make that happen for us yeah I’ll start to text
Right now yeah I think the next opening is about 1945 you know 45 yeah we’ll be picking out the champions tour uh Ridder cup version for at that point all right guys anyway 19th Hole uh Mr Elliott well before we get there do you have the hot seat questions
By chance I know Andy usually does I don’t so Jeff Jeff’s off the hook hey I I have them oh you do I live on the hot seat I can’t uh yeah he’s been he’s been on the see hasn’t he I don’t know I have the questions if you want
Them well fire yeah fire a few out let’s do that I don’t think quick on my feet give me time to gole we we’ll keep it generic we’ll keep it uh we’ll keep it to nine holes you know kind of a quickie um and you guys can help too but I think
Annie’s one was uh what’s what’s the lowest AR of golf you’ve ever shot oh for me yeah I shot a uh here you go I shot 58 at par 60 Paul Harney golf course yes oh hatchville Mass so yeah that’s a great one I shot 58 nothing to
It piece of cake favorite course you ever played probably probably austa just the feeling feeling the but I you know for one that people can play Kings bares maybe beautiful yeah um what was another one is uh well it was what three courses have you not played that you would love to
Play probably fish of the island uh Cypress Point and I know what the other one would be probably something on something on Long Island I’ve been to Bobby trying to think of the other questions all well the other one was your favorite golfer oh yeah yeah oh okay yeah yeah right
Golf just to deal with or to watch just your favorite alltime golf had a lot I’ve had a lot of fun to the years watching and watching the roller coaster that he can be is Ernie elves oh oh swing love the swing love his honesty uh you know knew him when he was
Sleeping on the floor with caddies and hotels playing mini tours so um I don’t know it’s been fun to watch his whole Voyage nice okay what’s the what do you think who’s your top three golfers of all time man lady anything oh I would go Jack tiger and Mickey
Wright that was yours Bobby that was mine yeah I thought you would have had a w slipped in there somewhere yeah you know could could happen uh let’s see do you think bill belich will be coaching the no I think one of us four would be a
Better Coach right now A far better GM the hoodie is uh maybe he lost his touch oh I got one too take a photo of you three hoodies yeah shoot I’m trying to think of the other ones I have it written down in the other room uh wasn’t one of them
Uh your your dream forsome oh yeah right yeah oh boy dream foresome I’ll go uh my dad Bobby Jones and what other great history we’ll let we’ll let Jack te it up with Arie I’m sorry Arie yeah back in the day wrong that’s a good one I can’t remember any the other ones
Oh I know the last one how many go once oh there you go yeah all right so I have one with like an asterisk so I always float this one out there I I do have a double eagle in Ireland but I only my only uh and you’ll laugh at this because
Probably played it is I I got a hole-in one at The Links at 434 which is a little was a lighted par three awesome sandwich and it was like 110 yards and I always say yeah I can’t really count that I don’t really have a hole in one
Everyone’s like oh you gotta count that it’s had 18 holes you got all you know so I don’t know it’s got an aster count it I don’t know count it I count it never had one plaque on the wall now it’s like a skate skate par
Park or something so yep I’ll never do it again you have survived Andy’s Butch Andy’s butchered Hot [Laughter] Seat only a warm seat today I returned to my question Mr Elliott 19th Hole final thought sir my final thought I’m I’m a die hard Tiger
Fan and I have a little bit of what Andy said last week about here we go again but you know I’m not gonna get my hopes up this time but I’m still gonna be rooting for him pretty hard and I’ll be honest I watch little golf I do you know
I read up on it I read stuff online I check the leaderboards but I watch little golf unless Tiger’s on TV um so I’m excited about that and then Jeff just put this crazy thought in my head about tiger and Charlie playing on the PG in a PGA tourament together so that’s my
Um yeah I had a couple here uh you know I read something this last week um that it it’s hard to play golf at a level it’s hard to it’s amazingly hard to play tournament golf SE Senior Tour regular PJ Tour golf is a whole another level
It’s just so hard and this Australian Pro John sendon for the last 18 months he’s been playing golf with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease I can’t even fathom that that he’s can play out there so I just want to send good wishes and I mean it’s just amazing
To see somebody like that out there um I mean it’s just it’s just incredible like how compe you know we all know how tough it is at the tour level um it’s just incredible and I mean the other thing was uh this week here in Kentucky the
Weather was getting into the 20s and 30 and it reminded me of the the days playing golf at Hill Country Club or as as Babs and Allen you know the phrase down the cape um when the snow would be flying up in the Northern parts of New England and um there’s something special
About just walking the course taking a few clubs playing in the cold weather playing Cross Country Golf that’s always fun um so when the weather gets cold it’s still it’s still time to play G you mean that picture of me with my T on and walking through the woods yes look like
You’re on a hike but yeah it’s sometimes people put the clubs away in the winter but no just take a few clubs go walk five holes whatever temporary greens yeah yep Jeff all right for the 19th Hole so I have I bring zero inside knowledge to
This but huge hot rumor right now that John ROM might jump over to the Liv tour and I that’s one that’s a player I enjoy watching a whole lot I just got to do the uh the profile on him for next year’s Master’s journal and really enjoyed talking to John listening to you
Know how much that guy loves the history of the game and everything about the game and I just I hope it doesn’t happen I understand if it happens because the money is going to be Monopoly money levels it’s going to be you know owning 10 Park places and here’s your
Family’s you know here’s the pile that your grand kids grandkids won’t spend but um I just hope it wasn’t won’t happen because I just think it’ll throw golf into it’ll just divide it more and build a bigger Chasm and it just cause more chaos and confusion and kind of
Hoping in 24 we can get to less chaos and confusion and all these guys can get in a room and figure something out agreed agreed that’ be nice yeah so so mine I’m going to actually finish with a trivia question so first of all
As you know like I said said I was out in Michigan so on my slide deck was number of golf courses by state can you guys name the top five courses by state who has the most golf courses of any State Texas Michigan’s up there Florida Florida’s number one Texas is actually
Number five California second California’s number two where’s Michigan Mich three 860 golf courses 12 1238 in Florida 964 in California 860 in Michigan and you’re missing number four New York New York 830 that crazy like of the top 10 half of them are in the northern uh Lakes
Region the Wisconsin’s Ohio Michigan New York it’s a lot of the older courses that are holder honors been around for aund plus years little n hole munies yep yep and and I said this to to an owner uh while I was there that unlike in the South you get a good
Day in the north you appreciate that you go yeah because wait 10 minutes the weather’s Gonna Change yeah Michigan’s got some great golf great they really do really really do that’s all I got anybody else anything thanks for joining yeah yeah good to join you guys here my dream
Force we at austa at austa right play the old pkka pun py [ __ ] until next week boys
